


‘Forward!’ Part 2
Bishop Lucia is looking ahead as he celebrates his 3rd Anniversary In our August 4 edition, we celebrated Bishop Douglas J. Lucia’s third anniversary (the official anniversary date is August 8th) as the Shepherd of the Diocese of Syracuse. This is Part 2 of the...
When CBA’s Cariseo coaches, ‘they know where they stand’
New girls varsity hoops coach has loved the game going all the way back to his St. Daniel’s days By Tom Maguire | Associate editor The prelude to sports night was pointed — aimed at No. 7. Mike Cariseo, then probably 11 years old, invited his friends, all Yankees...
Mike and Lisa Melara to be honored at Le Moyne’s 2022 Founders’ Day
Michael F. Melara ’81 and Lisa Mannella Melara ’85 have been selected as the honorees for the 2022 Founders’ Day Gala at Le Moyne College. At the event, which will be held on campus on Friday, Oct. 21, the Melaras will be presented with the Simon Le Moyne Award, the...
Gabby & John are getting married: Meet the groom!
By Dc Tom Cuskey | Editor Tick-tock, tick-tock. The time is winding down to January 2023 and the wedding of Gabrielle “Gabby” Gleason and John Pattwell, the Broome County couple we have been following this year as they prepare for their nuptials. The couple are...
‘Here I am; send me’
Two seminarians receive the Rite of Candidacy It was very fitting that on August 4, the feast day of St. John Vianney, two seminarians of the Diocese of Syracuse would receive the Rite of Candidacy on their journey to the priesthood. Benjamin Schrantz and Pawel Zmija...
CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION: Helping to bring Pope Francis’s encyclical to life in our community
From the Diocese of Syracuse “Care for Our Common Home” Task Force By MaryAnne Barrington | Contributing writer “Each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its...
Historic Old St. John’s Church hosts free concert series
Historic Old St. John’s Church in downtown Utica will offer two free concerts to the public on two Sunday afternoons in August and September. Each concert will be around one hour long. The first will take place on Aug. 21 at 3 p.m., featuring the Ida Tili-Trebicka...
Meet our new principals
Diocesan schools welcome new leaders; still vacancies to fill By Eileen Jevis | Staff Writer The nationwide teacher shortage has been in the headlines for months. In the Syracuse City School District, there are 300 open teaching positions, far more than any other...
Meet the ‘Voice of the Chancery’
Christine Werbeck assumes a new role in the diocesan office campus. She has a smiling face and, perhaps more importantly, a smiling voice. She is typically the first person people come in contact with when they call or visit the Chancery offices of the Diocese of...
Ladies of Faith at Cicero parish make pilgrimage to 2 shrines
The Ladies of Faith at Sacred Heart Parish in Cicero invited people on a July 16 pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville, N.Y., and the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine and Historic Site in Fonda, N.Y. Led by Terry and Deacon Ken Money, a...
30 years of teaching peace at OLS in Vestal
Over twenty years ago, Colman McCarthy, a former Washington Post columnist and director of the Center for Teaching Peace, visited Binghamton and gave an inspiring presentation on teaching peace to the next generation and in the audience were Dr. Jody and Mrs. Terry...
“Forward!”
Bishop Lucia is looking ahead as he celebrates his 3rd Anniversary “In the Name of Jesus” is the guiding motto that Bishop Douglas J. Lucia adopted when he was ordained and installed as the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse on August 8th, 2019. Bishop Lucia met...
Collection Helps Aging Sisters, Brothers, Priests in Religious Orders
The Diocese of Syracuse will hold the Retirement Fund for Religious collection Aug. 13-14. The parish-based appeal is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C. Proceeds help religious communities across the country to care for...
The “Men in Black” knock it out of the park for vocations
It was a warm, humid Sunday evening at Skyway Park in North Syracuse, and the rain fell on and off. It did nothing, though, to dampen the enthusiasm of the Men in Black diocesan softball team’s effort to promote diocesan vocations and have a lot of fun in the...
St. Anne’s Triduum has deep roots in Syracuse, Binghamton
By Dc. Tom Picciano, contributing writer, and Dc. Tom Cuskey, editor Svhe is the grandmother of Jesus, on Mary’s side of the Holy Family, and her feast day is July 26. She is St. Anne, and two parishes in our diocese celebrate her life and seek her intercession with...
Missionaries from across the U.S. lead Totus Tuus program
By Eileen Jevis | Staff writer Missionaries arrived in the area from Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania to teach more than 500 children and young adults throughout the Syracuse Diocese. The Totus Tuus Program is a summer...
Contact Visits return to Onondaga County jails
By Dc. Tom Cuskey | Editor It’s been over two years since residents of the Onondaga County Justice Center and Jamesville Correctional Facility have been able to receive in-person visits from family and loved ones, all due to Covid-19 restrictions. That changed on...
Diocesan students get “Fearless” at Steubenville conference
By Kathryne Sparaco | Contributing Writer “Powerful!” This is the word that Brittany McCanney, Confirmation Coordinator at Sacred Heart Church in Cicero, used to describe the Steubenville Summer Conference that she attended as a chaperone with the parish’s Youth...
‘What better place to belong’
St. Patrick’s in Jordan celebrates its 125th; Bishop, ‘Father D’ concelebrate Mass By Tom Maguire | Associate editor The St. Patrick’s timeline was rolled up like a diploma with a shiny green bow. At the parish in the Jordan countryside, they are well schooled in...
Called to the joy of love; NFP Awareness Week
Natural Family Planning supports God’s gifts in marriage By Dc. Tom Cuskey | Editor In a society currently mired in protests, divisive rhetoric and opinions concerning abortion, contraceptive means and family values, it couldn’t be a better time to celebrate Natural...
Lourdes North American Volunteers celebrates 20 years of service
International group was founded and home-grown in Syracuse By Dc Tom Cuskey | Editor There is a home on Syracuse’s Northside that most people probably would not pay much attention to if they walked or drove by. It looks like any other well-kept neighborhood home,...
S. Tier native ‘loved Africa, he loved the people of Africa’
Peter Daino remembered for selflessness, devotion to Blessed Mother By Tom Maguire | Associate editor He was a man for Africa who retained his popularity at home as well. Peter William Daino Jr., 69, who was an administrator for several years at All Saints Church in...
Caring for God’s creation: Living Laudato Si’
Helping to bring Pope Francis’s encyclical to life in our community From the Diocese of Syracuse “Care for Our Common Home” Task Force By Elizabeth Fleury | Contributing writer In 2015, Pope Francis addressed the whole church through his second encyclical (pastoral...
Bishop Lucia hosts VBS students at Cathedral
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception recently had a visit from the Vacation Bible School group from St. Vincent de Paul, Syracuse. They got to know Bishop Lucia, and he got to do two of his favorite things: spend time with our youth...
Wentlent appointed parish life director at IC, Greene
Bishop Lucia has appointed Mary Wentlent Parish Life Director of Immaculate Conception Parish in Greene, Chenango County, effective Aug. 15, 2022. Mary has served the parish for the past 10 years, most recently as the pastoral associate. In this new role, Mary will be...
New deacon formation leadership announced
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia has appointed a new director and associate director to lead the Office of Permanent Deacon Formation for the Diocese of Syracuse. Father Mark Kaminski, pastor of St. Anthony and St. Agnes Church and St. Mark’s Church in Utica will take over...
Columbiettes’ sale benefits charities and vocations
The Bishop Curley Columbiettes, an auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus, will hold their annual garage sale and craft fair 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Community Center at 700 South Bay Road in North Syracuse. The Columbiettes work and raise funds for...
A new ‘Team Approach’ is reshaping diocesan formation
By Dc Tom Cuskey | Editor What started as a group of diocesan department heads exploring ways to work better together has produced a new approach to form and engage people seeking formation in their faith. “A Team Approach to Forming Disciples” is the result of a new...